Dawn
by Knight of Balinor
Summary: HBP spoilers! Dumbledore has Hermione to do something for him. She finds a way to beat Voldermort. But what February 14th have to do with it? Oneshot.


Dawn

WARNING! This contains HPB spoilers!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Hermione glanced around the corner. She had to make sure no one saw her. Readjusting the hood of her cloak she begin to walk towards the forest edge. It has been hard but she had managed to sneak out of Hogwarts. Glancing back at the large castle, with the absence of Dumbledore seemed to cast a cloud of gloom of the castle. His death was a tragic one. With his death hope itself seemed to die. Students and teachers alike filtered about the halls waiting for their fate to arrive. Hermione however had a promise to for fill. Before Dumbledore and Harry left to fetched the locket Dumbledore asked for her help. He told her that one day, a young boy who and done her wrong would ask for help. He asked her not to turn him away. She promised.

As Dumbledore foretold a boy did come to her. Even though it was _him_ she kept her promise not to turn him away. In exchange for protection he gave her information. They kept in contact via the raven that was perched on Hermione's arm. Sighing Hermione stepped into the clearing in the middle of the forbidden forest.

"About time you go here, Mudblood." Hermione turned a smirked at the boy standing in the clearing.

"Good to see you to Ferret." Hermione grinned a pulled out a bag from her cloak. "Here. There are healing potions and some food and drink. You have anything new, Draco?"

"My lord plans on attack Dovetown in a week. He wants to inch towards Hogwarts. Therefore, I would pull people out of Hogsmade and Dovetown and plan a defense for Hogwarts. So, who made Head, Mudblood?" Draco pulled a muffin out and began eating it.

"Why do you call me that? Mudblood. You obviously don't follow Voldermort." Hermione sighed. "I want to ask you a question."

"So ask." Draco sighed. "I owe you for trusting me."

"Why did you switch sides? Why did you contact me to help the order? And you didn't answer my question why call me Mudblood."

"Well, I couldn't kill Dumbledore. And well, I wanted to see what muggels were like and went to one of their libraries. I read about genetics, and I guess I thought all of the squibs being born and the stillbirth in pureblood families and realized we needed fresh blood. As to calling you mudblood...I don't know. It's like a pet name I guess. That and I don't know your first name." Draco paused. "Dumbledore said I could trust you. He said you had a fetish, like him for "hopeless" cases. Something about spew."

"Hermione." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Hermione? Yuck! Sorry can't call you that, Mudblood. It sounds to much like Harmony." At this Hermione laughed. Reflecting back she realized that she was too used to hearing him all her mudblood that her own name seemed to foreign coming form his tongue.

"Does this mean I can call you Ferret? Calling you Draco is to odd."

"Sure. They can be our pet names. Hey why did you trust me?" Draco asked, as Hermione was getting ready to leave.

"Like you said. You could not kill Dumbledore. That and warning me about the attack planed for me." Hermione paused. "Dumbledore asked me. At first I couldn't believe that you had changed, but you're all right. For a bouncing Ferret." Hermione grinned.

"HEY!" Draco shouted. "Who made head?! I've asked like three times!" Draco had noticed that lack of head girl on Hermione.

"Um, Ron and Luna. I didn't want to be head." Hermione sighed. "Harry's to busy, and I am busy watching over him." Hermione stood and made to leave.

"See you. I'll send Nightwing when I have more information." Draco paused. "Hermione. When this is all over, you will speak for me won't you?"

"Of course Ferret." Hermione grinned. "Bye."

Hermione walked a few paces then turned and threw herself at Draco. "Stay safe!" She whispered. "I care about you now." With that she ran off into the night.

Draco stood, and watched her leave. She cared about him. No one had ever cared about him. This was new. Draco still did not know what possessed him to swap sides, especially for the moment the Dark Lord was winning. But something told him to listen the old headmasters advice and go to Hermione. Grinning he made way back to the Death Eater camp. He had a feeling that thing were going to turn out all right.

Hermione sighed as she once again assured the order that her spy was trustworthy. Luckily they believed her. It was hard, because she new that the instant she said "Draco Malfoy" they would not believe. Dumbledore's portrait helped a lot, claiming he place the greatest trust in her judgment, having influenced said judgment himself. So the order quickly gathered people from the neighboring towns and brought them to the safety of Hogwarts. Harry, Hermione, and Ron re-started the Dumbledore's Army and began to prepare people. They gathered as many consenting adults to train and wait for the battle. Professor McGonagall tried her best to keep people morals high, but is was hard for war is always daunting.

"I don't like you meeting a death eater alone" Harry's voice broke through her thoughts and reminded her of why she was assuring the order her spy could be trusted.

"It's fine. Look Nightwing came fifteen minuets ago. I have to go now. Bye!"

"Hermione are you sure that you can trust this person?" Harry asked catching her arm.

"Yes." Hermione sighed and left once more for the clearing.

As Hermione passed the Great Hall she glanced at the calendar. Today's date was February 10th. Four days before that horrid day where couple flaunt their love. She growled. Why would you need a special day to say I love you? She supposed that was fu for couples because the love was stronger on such…Hermione stopped dead in her tracks…love. Hermione with new vigor raced to the clearing. She knew how to win this war once and for all.

"They are attacking soon. They are trying to deicide on a date." Draco stated as soon as she was in the clearing. "The end is coming soon."

"The 14th." Hermione whispered. "Tell the to attack on that day!"

"WHAT!" Draco shouted. "Why?"

"Tell them that you could catch us off guard in our celebrations of love. That will be too caught up in our romances to fight. That's how the can win."

"So? What will that do?"

"Love. Dumbledore said that love was the one power Voldermort could not understand. Love beat him once before. Love can do it again. And what better day than the day of love!"

"Brilliant, Hermione Brilliant." Draco whispered. "We now have a chance. Can you be ready my then?"

"Yes. We will fake a celebration outside. When the death eaters come, they won't know what hit them." Hermione grinned. She hugged Draco in her excitement.

"Yeah." Draco held her close, taking notice of how well she fit into his side, as if they made for each other.

"How will I find you? Tell you apart from the others?" Hermione asked. "How make your self known?"

"I'll find you. I'll give you a rose." Draco stated. "Don't worry. I'll find you."

"Good. Wouldn't want you dead. Then you wouldn't get to see the shocked looks of every one."

"Hermione? Will you still see me after this?"

"Of course. We've gotten close now. I don't want this to stop." Hermione faced Draco.

"Good."

As in all romances the two leaned in to each other. Their lips barely brushing as they closed their eyes and took in the feeling of the moment before there first kiss. Draco sprang away a clutched his arm.

"I have to go." Draco sighed. "So do you. You have a lot to do. I shall see you."

"I'll be waiting."

Hermione watched Draco walk away before squealing and flopping on the floor. She grinned, it was just like the fairy tales she loved as a child. Magic certainly made fairy tales possible.

February 14th

Hermione stood pretending to be interested in the "merriment" of the others. It was just before dawn as they sat waiting. To the outsider it looked like couples and friends gathering to wait the start of the day of romance. What it really was an army of friends and families, gathering together hoping and praying, that the dawn would be the dawn of a time of peace. They prayed to any who would listen for all of this to end.

Suddenly curse flew from the trees of the Forbidden Forest. Hermione ducked and set stunning curses flying. The battle had begun. The death eaters realizing that there surprise attack wasn't a surprise attacked with vigor. The sky blazed green as the loved ones began to fall, the killing curse lighting the sky. Hermione tried to focus but found that she could not help but wonder how many families were fighting against each other. For a moment she saw to death eaters with blonde hair fighting. One was smaller that the other, the taller one seemed to be holding a wand the resembled the top of a familiar black cane. Draco. Her heart ached, as she saw him fight her father. She lost them as she rushed to the aid of the Weasely twins. The battle had now turned into an inferno curses and cries.

Amidst the chaos of battle two people meet. A death eater and mudblood looked to the horizon as the tip of the sun began to peek; dousing the sky with is golden light. The dawn. Wand trained on the death eater the mudblood waited. The death eater reached in to his cloak to reveal a rose, and offered it to the mudblood.

"Avada Kedavra!" The two turned the heads towards the anguished voice.

Harry stood hold Dumbledore old wand; Voldermort burst into flames then faded away into dust. It was finally over. Cheers rang out, as the flames of hope leapt high in the hearts of the side of light and together they and there loved ones stormed the remaining death eaters.

Hermione turned her attention towards the death eater she now new to be Draco. Sure enough it there was Draco mask and mark gone. He knelt before her. The rose was gone, and in it place was ring. Silver and gold intertwined around a rose made of emeralds and rubies.

"I told you I would give you a rose." Draco laughed.

"Yes. You did." Hermione waited and waited. "Are you going to say anything?"

Draco blushed. "Yeah." He cleared he throat. "It a new start for us. For the world. For every end there is a new beginning. Will you let Voldermort's end, mark the beginning of lives together? Will you marry me?"

"Yes. A thousand times, yes." Hermione grinned.

"Grandpa? Why did you switch sides?" Albus Malfoy asked.

"Yeah Grandpa why!" Lilly Potter asked from her grandmother lap.

"Its all about completion. Hermione and I were always competing to see who was better. If Voldermort won, I would have lost that competition. Life it self for me was to compete against her. Even now I compete against her for the attentions of our children. Life with out conflict or completion is extremely dull."

Hermione grinned and said. "Don't listen to his delusions. I am the real winner."

"You are not." Draco pouted causing their grandchildren to laugh.

"I am...right?" Hermione made her eyes as big and pleading as she could, as she pouted her lip and gave him the face men have feared for ages...the puppy-dog face.

"Right. You are." Draco would always respond. The grinned as Hermione would shower him with kisses. To his grandchildren he mouthed "not," causing a fit of giggles.

"Did you live a happy ever after?" Lily asked. She was the daughter of Hermione and Draco youngest daughter Sara Beth, who be came a Potter by marrying James Potter, Harry and Ginny's eldest son, who much the dismay of Ron had been born in the middle of Ginny's last year.

"Yeah did you?" Albus asked as he sucked on lemon drops. He was orphaned after a rouge attack of remaining death eaters. Hermione and Draco had taken him in. HE was disturbingly too much like his name stake at times.

"No." Draco grinned. "We still are living happy ever after! We are only...err…" Draco paused and seemed to be counting something.

"70 dear." Hermione sighed.

"Yes, 70. We are still young, come here, I will show you I am not old! Come on Hermione!" The two proceed to chase their grandchildren about; they most certainly were not old and still had a great many years left before they could say they lived happily ever after.


End file.
